spn_springfling | Grocery Shopping With Cas by jokerindisguise for <user site="li

Title: Grocery Shopping With Cas
Pairing: Dean/Cas
Rating: PG-13

“Sam didn’t want to join us?” Cas asked as Dean pulled into a parking spot at the Wal-Mart closest to the bunker. Dean always hated shopping at Wal-Mart, but Cas had insisted and it wasn’t like he had a lot of practice saying ‘no’ to him.

Dean shook his head, a grin threatening to take over his face. “He said he didn’t want to go through that again.”

Cas frowned and tilted his head to the side, as if he was confused about what happened the last time all three of them went grocery shopping together. He still couldn’t help himself from laughing at the memory of Castiel loudly asking Dean which brand of lube he preferred, since Castiel would be using it to prepare him that night. Sam’s face had gone red and his eyes were so wide that Dean had been worried for a second that death by humiliation was an actual thing. Of course, it didn’t help that a woman had been standing only a few feet away, her kid staring up at Cas with such an awe-filled expression that Dean had wondered if she had just been able to tell that Cas wasn’t human.

That hadn’t been the first time that Sam had been at least a little embarrassed while shopping with Dean and Cas, so he couldn’t really blame him. There were the times when Cas’ wings somehow knocked something over, like a whole display of toilet paper, or when he didn’t quite get that you weren’t supposed to sample food and then put it back if you didn’t like it.

Even though Dean would have been mortified to be with anyone else who did things like that on a shopping trip, he couldn’t really be humiliated by Cas. They had known each other for about six years and had been in a relationship for about two years (ever since they got out of Purgatory). They went through apocalypses, death, power trips, and everything else together, so it was a bit hard to feel ashamed about someone he knew so intimately. He knew that he definitely wouldn’t have felt that way a few years ago, but he could only hope that his relationship with Cas had caused him to grow as a person.

Now, as they walked up to the store, he let Cas take his hand, knowing they wouldn’t get any dirty looks since there weren’t a lot of people out doing any shopping at that time. He knew that grocery shopping at five in the morning was a bit unconventional, but he couldn’t help but feel paranoid that someone would spot the Impala and follow them back to the bunker. Once they were inside the store, he let Cas take the basket and then led him over to the produce department knowing that Sam would throw a fit if he ‘accidentally’ forgot his rabbit food again.

It didn’t take long for them to pick up enough food for the week. They picked up lunch meat, bread, milk, and all manners of vegetables that Dean was sure Sam would like. The last food item on the list was cereal, so Dean led them over to the cereal aisle, knowing that they would probably spend at least ten minutes there. Dean always thought it was kind of adorable how Castiel pondered over which cereal brand he thought would suit them best, choosing one with ‘30% more fiber,’ or ‘a guaranteed great start to your day.’ Even though Cas didn’t really eat food, he had somehow stumbled across a fondness for Lucky Charms.

It wasn’t until Dean needed to check the automotive department and Cas wanted to go to the hair care aisle that they actually split up. Dean was looking through different coolants, knowing that Baby had been running a little low lately, when he noticed someone turning down the aisle he was on. At first, he was sure that it was Cas, but when he turned to glance at him, he was surprised to see a sales associate walking down the aisle towards him. He smiled at the guy, feeling awkward because he wasn’t sure if the guy was purposefully moving towards him to speak to him or if he was simply walking down the aisle. He took a second to notice that the guy’s name was Jim, his blue shirt almost infuriatingly bright under the fluorescent lights of the store. He looked really young, obviously new if he was being forced to work so early. He turned back towards the coolant selections, finally picking up one that he thought would be nice for Baby, before he had his answer about whether the guy was going to approach him or not. He sensed the guy standing beside him only seconds before he spoke.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Dean shook his head, hoping the guy left him alone soon. “I’ve got it covered, but thanks,” he said as he held up the coolant. He turned away, thinking the guy would just walk away, but instead he put a hand on Dean’s right arm as he moved a bit closer.

“You sure?”

“I believe he has it covered,” Cas said before he put an arm around Dean’s waist and practically tore him away from Jim. Cas looked pissed and Dean couldn’t help but picture his wings puffing up, the feathers all ruffled.

“The hell is your problem?” Jim asked.

“The problem is that Dean is mine,” Cas growled.

“We share a profound bond,” Dean added, knowing that it in no way clarified what was really happening to the guy.

The guy opened his mouth to respond, his brows furrowed in confusion, but Cas didn’t give him a chance to speak. Instead, he quickly turned, the bottles of coolant mysteriously all falling off the shelves behind them, and started guiding Dean towards the front of the store.

“I think it’s time to check out, Dean.”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that maybe it was a good thing that Sammy didn’t tag along after all.